The moment the runes materialized, they drew Liora's attention.

Not only because their sudden appearance was somewhat surprising, but also because she discovered that she could recognize some of them.

"Devil Runes...", she whispered, revealing the runes' true identity.

Although the emergence of Devil Runes in a world so far away from the Demon World seemed odd at first, it made sense upon further thought.

Based on the True Devil's alliance with the Necronomicon Sect, it was not impossible for him to share some knowledge he deemed useless, granting the Sect the ability to better protect and disguise itself.

At the same time, this also explained why Liora had failed to uncover the stronghold before, despite having walked by this place during her search.

After all, what she was facing was not the Knights of this world, but the methods passed on by a high-level being of unimaginable power.

While she was deep in thought, the formation shrouding the hill completed its activation.

Following a bright crimson light, a small gap appeared on the spot where the Knight Apprentice had placed his palm. Then, it grew increasingly bigger.

By the time it became large enough for a person to pass through, the boundless darkness lurking inside was revealed, as if it were a gate leading straight to the depths of Hell.

However, the team of Knight Apprentices didn't show any intense reaction, obviously having been used to this.

They didn't hesitate for long. After exchanging a brief glance with each other, they stepped into the opening, one following behind the other.

Seeing their actions and understanding that the formation would soon deactivate and the gap would disappear, Liora was faced with two choices.

She could either continue pursuing them and enter what seemed to be the cultists' stronghold, or she could stay outside and wait for something to occur.

In the end, it didn't take long for her to make a decision.

Due to the time constraints, she chose the former.

Transforming into a dim shadow, she flashed beside the gate and walked inside, following in the footsteps of the Knight Apprentice team.

--

Based on the Necronomicon Sect's infamous reputation, coupled with the boundless darkness that she glimpsed from the outside, Liora was expecting that the Sect's stronghold would be filled with dread and despair.

Yet, when she opened her eyes, she found herself standing in a lush green plain.

Gorgeous flowers were surrounded by a large number of colorful butterflies whose wings flapped gently, while the joyful chirping of birds echoed throughout the plain.

In the distance stood a group of stone buildings, one neatly built next to the other.

Though she was far away, Liora guessed from their appearance that these buildings were most likely barracks and, judging from the metal noises reaching her ears, a large number of soldiers were training there.

She didn't rush to get there. She first concealed her figure to the best of her ability and glanced at the team standing not far away.

Unlike her, who was visiting this place for the first time, these cultists seemed to be used to this unusual sight.

Therefore, they didn't linger for long.

After casting a glance at their surroundings, they turned around and strode towards the barracks. Witnessing this, Liora followed.

It didn't take long for the team of Knights and the hidden Devil to arrive at the barracks' entrance.

There, another group of Knights was guarding.

Although they seemed to recognize the wandering Knight Apprentices as they nodded in acknowledgement, they still didn't let them pass.

Instead, they ordered them to halt and began conducting an investigation regarding their identities, ensuring that no intruder would ever enter the barracks.

Unfortunately, neither the team of Knight Apprentices nor the alert guards knew that their biggest fear had already happened.

Quietly, Liora had slipped into the barracks, bypassing the tight defense and leaving the cultists behind her.

The first thing she did was not to walk deeper into the barracks, but to expand her consciousness, using her powerful soul and Void Whisper to explore her surroundings.

Though she was unable to map out the entire group of buildings, she got a lot of useful information.

At the same time, she spotted a large number of Knight auras.

Although most of them belonged to Knight Apprentices, there were tens of True Knights among them.

Most shockingly, there was an imposing aura towering above them all, oppressing the entirety of the barracks.

Instantly, Liora guessed the identity of its owner.

'A Great Knight...'

Realizing this, coupled with the many other Knight auras she had previously sensed, Liora understood that there was something wrong with this place.

'It would make sense for one of the three major forces to employ a large number of Knight Apprentices. It could roughly be understood that there are many True Knights, since they might be less rare than outside.'

'But it should be absolutely impossible for a Great Knight to be stationed here.'

The status of Great Knights in the Iron Armor Empire was supreme, akin to the status that ranked Devils enjoyed in the Crucible.

As long as a Great Knight was willing, they could easily earn a hereditary title and become nobles of the Iron Armor Empire.

If they were particularly powerful or fulfilled certain conditions, they would swiftly be promoted to Dukes, reaching the apex of the Empire's power structure.

Thus, Liora found it hard to believe that such a person would be stationed in such a place.

After all, this was not the headquarters of the Necronomicon Sect, but merely one of its many strongholds.

There should be hundreds of strongholds like this, spread throughout the continent.

'It's impossible that each stronghold has a Great Knight stationed there, right?', Liora mused.

Even the royal family, coupled with all the Empire's nobles, would not be able to dispatch such a force.

Therefore, Liora speculated that this place was unique.

Most likely, it held certain secrets, secrets that were significant enough for the Necronomicon Sect to pay such a price.

With that in mind, after Liora made sure that she could sustain activating the Silent Domain for a long time, she walked deeper.

Faint curiosity flashed across her eyes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.